Afghan Foreign Minister in Delhi, India reiterares support for Afghan peace process
This is the first high profile visit since the Moscow conference on Afghan peace process last week
By IAR Desk
New Delhi: Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, who is on an official visit to India, met Monday evening, March 24, with his Indian counterpart, Mr. S. Jaishankar to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations, the strengthening of regional and international consensus on the Afghan peace talks, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity.
This is the first high profile visit from Afghanistan to India following a conference in Moscow last week on tge Afghan peace process in the ‘expanded Troika’ format – with the participation of Russia, Pakistan, China and the USA. India had not been a party to it.
During his meeting with Jaishankar, Mr. Atmar, while extending greetings from President Ashraf Ghani, also, thanked and expressed appreciation for India’s approximately $ 3 billion in economic and development assistance to Afghanistan over the past two decades.
Speaking about India’s recent commitments and cooperation, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of the Shatoot Dam, the delivery of 500,000 doses of Corona Vaccine, and the sending of 75,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan, the Indian Minister of External Affairs said that India, as a friend and partner of Afghanistan, would continue to support the reconstruction and developmental projects for the welfare and prosperity of Afghanistan people.
The two sides also discussed regional connectivity projects, including the development of railways from Central Asia to South Asia via Afghanistan, the expansion of the Chabahar port, and enhancing trade between the two countries, considering these projects important for strengthening economic cooperation and regional stability.
They agreed to form specialized working groups in various fields to strengthen economic and development cooperation and to follow up on the planned projects at technical levels.
“Welcomed Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan. Detailed conversation on the peace process,” Jaishankar wrote in a tweet. “Also exchanged views on our bilateral cooperation and development partnership.”
In connection with the peace process, the two sides reviewed the Troika Peace Meeting in Moscow and assessed the final declaration of the meeting as positive for strengthening and advancing the peace process.
The two most important formuation of the Moscow meeting in the joint statement released by tge participants was that there should not be a return to the Islamic Emirate system in Afghanistan and there should nit be any “Spring Offensive” – escalation of the violence by Taliban. The Taliban have long insisted that Afghanistan should be an Islamic Emirate.
India stated its readiness to participate in regional conferences on peace and development in Afghanistan, including the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process in Tajikistan and Peace Talks in Turkey, and stressed that New Delhi strongly supported the peace process and the achievements of the Afghan people over the last two decades.
Mr. Atmar emphasized India’s role in the Afghan peace process and called for its enhanced role in strengthening regional and international consensus for the success of peace talks. The Indian Minister of External Affairs expressed readiness to help strengthen the regional and international consensus for peace in Afghanistan, saying that national consensus and unity within Afghanistan would further strengthen and contribute to the regional and international consensus.
Atmar’s visit, it is widely believed is to shore up Indian support for the Afghan government, which is being asked by the US to make way for an interim government, as well as to brief the Indian side on the Moscow conference.
